| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
As much as we'd like to ride the Ulys north this year, it's not happening due to time constraints. The poor little darlin's are gonna be cooped up in a trailer behind our truck the entire way thru the smokies and thru other nice riding bits of the midwest as well. We've only been shopping for trailers once before, and that situation was a whole different ball of wax as we were looking for a single bike, open trailer with a weight limitation. Now we have a vehicle that can easily tow 5K, and we want a two Uly closed trailer with a v-nose. We'll consider new as well as used, but don't know exactly what to look for. Being that this site is a wealth of info, I thought I'd pose the questions here. For trailering two Uly's with a shorter wheel-base truck (Honda Ridgeline), what size trailer would be best to use? My concern is the tail wagging the dog. For used trailers, what things should we look for as reasons not to buy? As always, thanks for your input. BeLinda. | ||
| Etennuly |
For following a Honda Ridgeline I would want the lowest V nose the bikes would fit in. The lighter the better. About a 3500 lb capacity should do. That allows for 1100 lbs of Ulys, 1000 pounds of gear and stuff, and a little over 1200 pounds of trailer. Single axle will do, brakes will be required. Electric drum brakes are best for this light of a unit. Get the best quality tire you can with a spare to match, with tire changing equipment. If you have one made get the axle for the next higher weight class, like 4500 pounds. That will get you larger wheel bearings and should have it on 15" rims. The most important lode failure problem is wheel bearings. Most trailers you see dead along the road have had bearings fail, burn up and take the spindle off. 'Bearing Buddy' grease-able caps work great to save the bearings also. Stablizer jacks at the back corners will eliminate messing up the tongue/hitch/tailgate/and load door/ramp for loading and unloading. An access door near or at the front is more than handy. If you spend a bit extra on LED lights it will really pay off over the years in dealing with failed marker and tail lights. A 2" ball with a 6000 pound rating will be sufficient, you should have no need for a stablizer hitch unless you tow in tornado weather. For the bikes I would get three of some kind of front wheel stablizer tie downs, one on each side and one in the center for balance if you are taking only one bike somewhere. An interior light is good to have. "D" rings in the floor and some "E" track on the sides is the best for tying stuff in. | ||
| Etennuly |
On used trailers look first at stance. If you see signs of the front of the trailer's body aiming downward while the tongue is aimed up at the hitch, it probably has been well over loaded and abused. Look for cracks in the welds or frame parts. Check for functional lights. Look for good wire end connections to the truck. Check the tire load ratings and look for dry rot and overall cheapness of the tires. It should have brakes if over 1000 pounds capacity. Make sure they work with the brake controller, and it should have a break away battery with cable switch. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Holy crap, Vern. That is a ton of useful info! If I ever meet you face to face, I definitely will buy you a beer, or even two! Thanks!!! "For the bikes I would get three of some kind of front wheel stablizer tie downs, one on each side and one in the center for balance if you are taking only one bike somewhere." We have two tire chocks, would we be able to fit two Ulys side by side with bags off in a 12 by 6, or do we need to stagger them? Is that a safe distribution of weight? I had not even thought of the occasion where we'd only have one bike, but you're right, that may happen sometime. | ||
| Frank_w |
i wouldn't go to 6x12 behind a ridgeline. i had a 6x10 that was almost too much for my gmc sierra regular cab with the 4.3 v6. even lightly loaded it was a handful. | ||
| Etennuly |
Staggering them by a foot or so would make loading them easier and safer. If you had them lined up side by side the bars would eventually come in contact with the walls or each other. Fore and aft in the trailer is important too. It is best to end up with about + 15% tongue weight. If you have 3000 pounds trailer and load weigh combined, the tongue at the ball should weigh roughly 450 pounds, a little less is OK, just don't go less than 10% for the sake of handling. If I had to guess the position of the bikes, the rear tire of one bike would be about 8 inches behind the center line of the trailer's axle with the second bike a foot further back. Then equally distribute the weight of what ever else you set in there. Back at the time, I had a light(950 pounds, mostly aluminum) 6x12by 6 high that I pulled behind a '94 Sierra V6 2wd short bed with no problems. When the trailer was new I also pulled it behind an '85 Elcamino ss, and a '91 Lumina apv van. Balancing the load, especially tongue weight, is important to easy, safe towing. As with any box trailer cross winds can be a bad thing. It is best to prepare simply by going a little slower. If you will be towing in the mountains it is always a good idea to carry some extra antifreeze or at least some water. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks for your input, Frank_w. I think we plan to go looking at some later this week. It may not be a bad idea to take one of the Ulys with when we go to kinda eyeball it sizewise before we commit to anything. And, best of all, it'd be an excuse for a ride, woo hoo! | ||
| Motorbike |
Maybe you should put a hitch on one of the Ulys and tow the Ridgeline?  No need to thank me for this wonderful advice...... | ||
| Ratbuell |
69 the bikes - one nose-in, one pointed out the back, keep the bars apart. LOOK AT YOUR RIDGELINE'S CAPACITY. Definitions: GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. That's how much a vehicle can safely weigh, including fluids, cargo, and passengers. Applies to both the Honda and the trailer, each will have its own limit. GCWR = Gross COMBINED weight rating. Applies to the Honda. It is how much the entire rig - cargo, truck, trailer, fluids, and passengers - can safely weigh. You can "rob" from the Honda to add to the trailer if you need to, but don't exceed the trailer's GVWR. Tongue weight - how much downward force (dead weight) can be put on the hitch receiver of the Honda. Towing capacity - how much the frame of the Honda can safely pull....and STOP. There might be two numbers for tongue weight and for tow capacity - weight carrying, and weight distributionm (although on a Ridgeline, I doubt it's rated for WD). Weight distribution means you have load leveler bars between the Honda and trailer, keeping everything level and balanced. Weight carrying means "drop it on the ball and go". www.trailerlife.com has a great set of towing guides based on model year, you can look up your Ridgeline's capacity. The Ridgeline is short-wheelbase - more chance of the tail wagging the dog. www.reeseprod.com is the reese towing website, look at friction sway control. It's an add-on that helps cut down on wag. Half-ton truck? Don't bother. Ridgeline? Worth its weight in gold. Best way to answer the "will they fit" question...try it. But, I've had a pair of Uly's in the back of an 8' Dodge pickup truck with no problem. I've also had 2 HD baggers in an 8' bed. But...there's no "outside wall" on a truck bed... And for Vern's recommendation about the "bearing buddy"...they work great for the *outer* bearings. There's a bearing on the inside of the hub, too...you still have to do your maintenance. Aluminum trailers are nice, but get a steel frame. Heavier, but less prone to cracking. Brakes? YES. Absolutely. Unless you like putting brakes on the Honda (and praying during panic stops!). Don't waste money on a Prodigy brake controller, just get a regular old controller. My '01 Ram diesel has a Prodigy in it that was there when I bought it, and it SUCKS. K.I.S.S.  Why enclosed? Heavier, more wind resistance...and we can all wash motorcycles if we need to...  | ||
| Idaho_buelly |
I have a 6x12 w/a ramp and a"Pitbull Trailer Restraint",no need for tie straps to be in the way and the bike rides perfectly!..Happy travels..  http://www.pit-bull.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PR OD&Store_Code=PBMSA&Product_Code=F0075-000Buell&Ca tegory_Code=trailer_restraints | ||
| Towpro |
Most trailers now come with "easy lube" axles which are different then bearing buddies. The hub/axle is designed so when you pump grease into the fitting, it lubes both bearings, not just the outer bearing. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks for the replies, all. "one nose-in, one pointed out the back, keep the bars apart." I guess the X, with its beefy turning radius, would go in first and be nose out if that's the way we loaded them. "Why enclosed? Heavier, more wind resistance...and we can all wash motorcycles if we need to..." The trailer's post-adventure purpose will be moving stuff around. Swung by my motorcycling neighbors house last night, and he suggested another trait to seek out in a trailer was a long ramp. Makes sense to me. | ||
| Etennuly |
Bearing buddies will grease the inside bearings. Simply fill the void inside the hub. It will push the grease all of the way through. I have my boat trailer set up this way. It will trail little gobs of grease inside the wheel well on hot days. The D rings in the floor should be located where they work for tying the bikes. The E track around the inside of the trailer is for all of the other crap you might haul. Most of the modern day trailers use the rear door as a ramp, which will be plenty long. This is where the support jacks on the rear corners come in handy. By cranking them down to the ground you won't push the face of the door into the dirt and it will keep the top edge of the door from having to slide as the trailer would squat at the rear. Rat's charts are a good thing to read and know if you are towing. Also read your owner's manual about towing. A Ridgeline should be good for 3500 pounds, but you need to make sure. | ||
| Coolice |
Another word of advise from school of hard knocks...with the Uly tie the front end down with (4) tiedowns. Use a set to tie the lower triple clamp down and make sure they are looped and cannot "bottom out" and become un-hooked. Then a set to the bars. Tie the rear down to keep it from walking side to side and touching the other bike or the wall. Just my $2 worth and many miles of trailering. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Wow! Vern, Rat, Frank, Idaho, Tow, Coolice; WOW! The Uly is a rider's bike, for sure, but ask about how best to 'trailer' it and the responses are super helpful and without, yes 'without' the 'why trailer' posts! Very cool. BadWeb is a special forum. Very cool. Hey, I'm not trying to pull a 'Court' here, Fltwistygirl, but if we ever meet, and I hope we do, remind me to tell the story of an annual Sturgis friend who 'let' the fact that some folks chose to trailer to Sturgis, 'DRIVE him nuts' every year BUT, here we are years later and he not only switched to a Goldwing, which he used to ridicule, , but this Spring he TRAILERED that Wing from Oregon to Arizona!!!  Hey, he had a great reason as those he ridiculed did, I'm sure! Ah, the old 'I'm right', that expodes in one's face! Sorry to digress. Have a great trip! | ||
| Fung |
May as well check this out http://www.tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=42 Lots of great ideas. I love my set up. | ||
| Ourdee |
My trailer is an enclosed 5X8. I use a ramp and have a winch mounted in the nose so I can load by myself. Door height is so low I have to compress the forks with tie downs prior to loading. My choice was to have a trailer that would not be wider or more than a few inches taller than my Jeep. It has a side door, BIG PLUS. It is low enough that I can get it into my garage without letting air out of the tires. Mower is used to park it in my back yard in the summer. I have a caster wheel that fits under the tongue jack so that it can be moved around in the garage by hand. Still need to weld up a big foot pad for the jack. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks all for your contributions here. We'll be looking around today, and the info on this thread will be helpful. "WOW! The Uly is a rider's bike, for sure, but ask about how best to 'trailer' it and the responses are super helpful and without, yes 'without' the 'why trailer' posts! Very cool. BadWeb is a special forum. Very cool." Definitely one of the things I like about BWB, and especially, BB & D, is that rarely are the members credibility as "true motorcyclists" questioned. There are situations where trailering is a better, or perhaps, safer choice than riding. Maybe times when: -One's jumbo-sized 12 year old son is not on board with riding 800 miles/day as pillion -One has a time limitation of one night on the road only with no exceptions. Delays due to weather, health, traffic, mechanical failure mean previous commitments will not be met. - One's step-father has recent hip surgery and he is unable to perform routine household and yard maintenance tasks. Some of these tasks require use of a pick up and perhaps, a trailer! Buellerxt, I'd welcome the opportunity to share stories with you face to face. Every badwebber I've met in person face has exceeded my expectations. Amazing bunch of people here. Fingers crossed will be posting a picture later today. Cheers! BeLinda. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
So, here it is: Trailer. We went with a 6 by 12 v nose.  Trailer and truck. We went to ikea to get some ideas for storage, etc. We took the interstate part of the way home to get a feel for how the set up handled as well as checking how big of a hit mpgs will take.  Inside trailer. Fun to have such a clean slate to play with. The chock on the left can hold a front or a rear wheel. We took the bags off both bikes, and loaded them into the trailer last night. No issues with fitting them both in with a few inches clearance between bikes/walls and between the bikes themselves. It was a hectic yet fun day.  | ||
| Etennuly |
Congrats, a good looking set up. | ||
| Fung |
Awesome ! | ||
| Buellerxt |
Great equipment. Enjoy! | ||
| Motorbike |
Wow, it all matches! Very nice. Should be a great trip up here with that outfit! | ||
| 7873jake |
Ahhhhh, I envy you. Few things beat that new trailer smell and the chance to be the first to drill holes/mount stuff/install things and set stuff up. Word of caution (and when you hear it, you'll go  "well, yeah") but remember that the drill bit or screw can reach the skin and put holes in your new toy. Just had a new guy put a row of holes in one of our big trucks at work...shoulda seen the color in his face drain out when he walked out of the inside of it, looked at the exterior skin and realized he cheesed a $700,000 truck. Its that little obvious thing that you sometimes forget. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks, guys. I'm very excited about not pushing our little CRV to its limits this summer. The matching part was absolutely coincidental, white was the only choice in that size unit. Speaking of size, when there are no bikes inside, the trailer is frigging huge! We sat in the driveway next to the ramp last night looking inside, drinking a beer and talking about what things would be cool to have in it (yea, like an 1190RS, perhaps?). Jake, thanks for chiming in here, a good and timely reminder. We've got some ideas, but plan to do plenty of research before the first bit is drilled into the wall. I'll bet you have plenty of stories about jobs gone bad. $700,000...yikes! | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
BTW, Fung, thanks for the tnttt.com link. Given our son has been active with boyscouts over the years, we are no strangers to camping. Great ideas on that site by people that look at things a little differently. I like it! | ||
| Fung |
Your welcome, it sure helped me out with a few ideas. |
